New York

A new survey from Siena College shows that only about a third of New Yorkers think that race relations in the state are either excellent or good. That compares to about two-thirds of them who say that race relations are either fair or poor.

The latest data released Saturday on COVID-19 numbers for New York state shows that the positivity rate for the Finger Lakes region has topped 10%.  The seven-day average of 10.03% was the highest of any region in the state. The Mohawk Valley and the Capital Region had the next highest rates.

Monroe County on Saturday reported 454 new cases of the coronavirus and no new deaths. The total number of deaths to date is 592.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 596 new cases per day. The seven-day rolling average positivity rate for Monroe County is 9.9%.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is concerned about the variation of the coronavirus that has been seen in the United Kingdom recently and whether it will be coming into New York City from regular daily flights.

During a Sunday news conference, Cuomo noted that a number of other countries have either required people flying from the UK to get a COVID test first before flying to their nations, or in some cases, issuing an outright ban on those travelers. The governor asked why the U.S. has not taken similar action.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York's 29 presidential electors awarded their votes to Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris on Monday.

The vote took place in the state Capitol in the state Assembly chamber. Electors included former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, who were the first two to cast their votes.

"I'm really looking forward to the Biden, Harris administration. It's going to be great for the country,'' Hillary Clinton told reporters afterward. "Absolutely monumental."

The latest data on COVID-19 cases in Monroe County show 526 new confirmed cases of the virus. The daily number had been above 600 since last Wednesday.

There were no deaths in the numbers released on Sunday, there have been 350 to date.

The seven-day rolling average positivity rate for the county is 7.2%. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 594 per day.

According to data released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday, the COVID-19 infection rate seven-day rolling average for Monroe County’s orange zone was 7.81%, higher than it has been in recent days.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York is now requiring travelers from non-neighboring states to test for COVID-19 before and after arrival in the state.

The state is scrapping its list that required residents of most states to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York.

Instead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday travelers from all non-neighboring states must test negative twice for COVID-19 before they may stop quarantining.

First, they must test negative for COVID-19 within three days before arriving in New York.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says comments made by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Sunday are a good example of the way the Trump Administration has approached dealing with the coronavirus.

Meadows said on CNN Sunday that the U.S. is not going to control the pandemic, but will instead work on controlling vaccines, therapeutics, and other mitigation efforts.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that, while New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania are experiencing their own spike in COVID-19 cases, New York will not restrict travel from those states because of the number of people who go back and forth for business each day.

Instead, Cuomo said he’d speak with the governors of those neighboring states on how New York may be able to assist them in reducing their infection rates.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday signed legislation officially making Juneteenth, a day commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States, a New York state holiday.

"This new public holiday will serve as a day to recognize the achievements of the Black community, while also providing an important opportunity for self-reflection on the systemic injustices that our society still faces today," said Cuomo in a statement.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  More than 1,000 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 in a single day, marking the first time since June 5 the state has seen a daily number that high.

The number of positive tests reported daily in the state has been steadily inching up in recent weeks, a trend possibly related to increasing numbers of businesses reopening, college campuses reopening and children returning to school. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday there were 1,005 positive cases tallied on the previous day, Friday, out of 99,953 tests, for a 1% positive rate.